C 142
"¡Aaack!"
I screamed and jumped. The last thing I remember was the falling debris.
No matter how much I said I would experience death, seeing concrete fall from the ceiling wasn't what I had imagined.
"Is this really happening?"
Concrete poured over me as my last memory.
"I should have known from the beginning when I noticed there was no soundproofing between floors."
Damn shoddy construction!
I laughed and looked around. It was a completely black space.
"Is this where Cha Miso is located?"
But there were no gears. Cha Miso was nowhere in sight. I stood up hesitantly and walked down the dark path like a wolf's mouth with nothing inside.
It was because I thought something might come out as I walked.
Indeed, as I moved forward, I saw a faint halo of light in the distance.
Young Cha Miso was standing there with Arma, looking at me.
"Good job."
"Am I dead?"
It wasn't as painful as I thought. The moment the cement fell, my memory cut off, as if a fuse had blown.
"Yes, Cha Miso's life has ended completely. Therefore, you two will now become separate individuals."
Arma extended her hand. Then, the young Cha Miso's body slowly turned into a halo of light and began to separate from her toes.
"The baby here will be reborn as a new life in my world."
"... ah."
Kiiiiiiiik-
Crack, crack-
When I looked up at the heavy sound, the gears that had always been creaking and rolling were breaking and falling apart.
The old gear, as if it had done its job, began to rust and deteriorate slowly.
"I see."
There was something refreshing about it.
Not that I'm sad for Cha Miso's life. I thought that when I saw the gears collapse.
"You are free."
Arma opened her arms and said.
My eyes suddenly widened.
"You dealt a fatal blow to the guardian of the stars, so he won't be able to move for a while. Your imprint will be complete, and you will have grown enough."
"... Yes."
"Well, I suppose there are only a few people in this world who can defeat you."
Because I became a dragon.
I laughed awkwardly at the comment she added. I wondered what would happen if I never returned, but I was glad to have returned.
"Oh, I'll give you a gift later."
"A gift?"
"My darling child intervened in your world, even at the cost of paying the price. So, I'll show you that world later."
"What price..."
"Oh, it's nothing special. What, just increase the number of believers by about 100,000?"
100,000 people...
I opened my mouth in shock.
The Empire was originally a monotheistic religion, so most people believed in Arma.
Unless 100,000 people emerge out of nowhere. So, what you're saying is to spread the religion to other countries, right?
When I looked at Arma with a perplexed expression, she shrugged.
"I've abused my power so severely in this matter that I have a lot to write in the report, so no lighter disciplinary measure can be imposed than this."
Arma spoke firmly and seemed unwilling to retract her words.
Since God has an Inspector General's Report and a Complaint Report, does that mean God also has a superior? Or is it like a country where gods live?
I was speechless for a moment at the words that seemed so realistic.
"You know, God."
"Yes?"
"Was I unhappy because the guardian of the stars controlled everything?"
If so, doesn't that mean that those people are also victims in the end? So, I can't hate them as much as I want?
"No, no."
Arma responded.
"The guardians of the stars cannot be so involved in human destiny."
"Is that so...?"
"The number of people a guardian of the stars can manage is limited. Dreaming children. They can decide where these children will be born."
"... ah."
"You were born into a family that was simply worth it. It would have been the same even if another child had been born in your place."
Arma's words made me feel at ease. Although internally, I felt relieved that all those images were not created, I didn't feel good.
Ultimately, it meant that it was a misfortune someone, not me, had to experience.
"... Yes."
"Did you enjoy the vision that the guardian of the stars showed you?"
"It was unpleasant."
"I knew it."
Arma chuckled.
"The misfortune caused to someone who has found love is not such a big blow. As long as people have faith that someone loves them, they can rise again at any time."
Arma's added words made me feel strange. As I slowly turned my head, the young Cha Miso's body was almost entirely surrounded by a halo of light.
"Thank you, Eirin."
My eyes widened at the words the young Cha Miso spoke with a wide smile.
"Yes, you too. Thank you."
Soon, the young Cha Miso turned into a complete halo and landed in Arma's palm.
"Good job, babies."
Arma's small hand caressed my head. Soon, a beam of light extended from her hand and enveloped me.
"And for creating me and my world, I am truly grateful."
It's cozy and warm...
Yes, I felt so good that it felt like I was trapped in someone's embrace.
***
Blink.
Once I blinked, my eyes became slightly blurry. When I blinked again, the view that had been blurry became a bit clearer.
I felt strange seeing the familiar ceiling, the ceiling I had longed for so much.
"Whoa..."
I really have returned.
I calmed my heavy voice a couple of times and slowly got up.
"It's quiet."
The mansion I had returned to was quiet...
"And my voice..."
The youthful appearance had completely disappeared.
I hurriedly got out of bed. While stumbling and standing in front of the full-length mirror, I saw a beautiful woman that left me dumbfounded.
"Who is...?"
The pink-haired beauty reflected in the full-length mirror pursed her lips when I spoke and opened her mouth when I was surprised.
"... Is it really me?"
I couldn't believe it to the point where those words came out.
"How could I have grown so well after sleeping for seven years?"
It's the setup of the novel...
"No, it's not a novel."
Now that I think about it, I forgot to ask why the world I created was registered on the platform as a novel.
"Let's ask next time."
I struck various poses in front of the mirror and rubbed my cheek.
As if to prove that I hadn't seen the sunlight, my cheeks were pale and white, and my golden eyes seemed to have become even darker, as if filled with honey.
Even the tall stature felt strange.
The cotton doll I remembered had turned into a Barbie doll with long limbs.
"But how..."
I grew so wonderfully.
While I slept, my body had grown quite a bit. I looked at myself in the full-length mirror and pressed my head with my hand.
"It's a pity."
I couldn't see myself grow.
I couldn't be with my family all that time.
The moment of being a child lasts only a moment, and that moment seemed to pass too quickly.
"... "
I wanted to act a little more childish.
I wanted to try things I had never been able to do before. It was a shame that I couldn't properly make use of the time I would never get back.
There were so many things I had to go through because the past relationship didn't end properly.
"Still... I'm back."
There were definitely times when I thought I would never return.
After the first year, I missed Eirin's world and couldn't bear it.
Still, I'm glad I came back.
"But..."
Haven't I become an adult after all?
The time for acting childish has passed. I clicked my tongue in regret and scratched my cheek.
It was when I was standing in front of the mirror and pressing my head to calm my regret.
Click.
The door opened with a small noise.
I felt the other person suddenly stop moving.
I turned my head and held my breath with a little anticipation.
"... "
"... "
The person standing in front of the door was frozen like a stone statue, eyes wide open as if surprised to see me.
I moved my lips and thought of several words, but no words came out easily, so in the end, my mouth just opened.
"... "
"Wow..."
I barely managed to make a sound in the silence.
"Dad..."
When I could barely speak that name, I was already bowing my head.
My vision was blurry, and I couldn't see him.
And...
"... Daughter."
My father reached me in an instant and hugged me tightly, so I couldn't see him.
"... It's too late."
"You came back..."
"I came back safely."
In response to that slightly muted response, I hugged my dad as tightly as I could.
"Ugh..."
I missed you.
I was so happy to see him again, and I felt so sad about the time that had passed that I let out a choked sob as if I were out of breath.
My father's large hand patted my back silently.
"Boohoo!"
The crying that burst out of relief didn't easily subside.
